The Tar-Kettle
The Tar-Kettle began as a cookhouse for workers who boiled pitch and rendered tar for shipwrights. When that trade moved to a larger yard, the cookhouse stayed open for dock crews and sailors. The old tar boiler was removed decades ago, but its wide iron chimney remains above the roof.
The Tar-Kettle
Overview
History
The Tar-Kettle began as a cookhouse for workers who boiled pitch and rendered tar for shipwrights. When that trade moved to a larger yard, the cookhouse stayed open for dock crews and sailors. The old tar boiler was removed decades ago, but its wide iron chimney remains above the roof.
Quirks
The old chimney gives a low, kettle-like moan when the wind blows in from the open water. Locals say it means a squall is coming, though Ilona insists it only needs a new cap. The floor slopes gently toward a grated drain, and on very high tides seawater sometimes bubbles up through it.
Rooms and services5
- Harbor RoomsLodgingA broad, salt-stained room above the pub, divided by canvas screens. The windows look over the moorings, and the door can be barred from within.
- Quay YardStableA fenced landing with hitching posts and a covered rack for carts. A watchful stablehand can mind pack animals while their owners are ashore.
- Gamblers' TablesGamblingThree scarred tables host dice, knucklebones, and card games. The house lends no money, but Ilona will settle disputes before they turn into brawls.
- Tideboard StageEntertainmentA sheltered platform facing the room, where sailors trade songs, news, and performances for supper or a few coins.
- Quayside Cargo LiftServiceA sturdy hand-operated winch lowers crates through a hatch to the waterline. It is meant for cargo, though the pub will quietly help a regular load a small boat.
People
The keeper and 5 patronsKeeperIlona Varga Human fighter, level 4
Net-menderBela A patient human net-mender who speaks little until the conversation turns to weather or knots. She notices every boat that comes and goes.
SailorYorgos Petri A cheerful half-elf deckhand who tells elaborate stories and quietly omits the dangerous parts.
Chandlery clerkKez A blunt dwarf chandlery clerk who keeps a careful tally of debts and has no patience for boastful adventurers.
Map-sellerDomenik A soft-spoken tiefling map-seller with a habit of asking customers where they were when the tide changed.
CourierRilla A sharp-eyed halfling courier who plays dice for small stakes and listens more than she talks.
Keeper's Species
Human
Intrigue
What locals say
The pub sits where the working quay meets the busier harbor, serving fishermen, chandlers, sailors, and travelers waiting on a tide or a berth. Its old chimney is a local landmark, and crews sometimes use the steady plume from its kitchen fire to judge the wind. The ticking coffer is a custom adventure mystery, not an established D&D artifact.
Plot hooks
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